Over the years I’ve studied with a number of amazing professors. Each of them focused on human potential, healing, and making the world a better place. I owe a note of gratitude to Jean Houston, Lucia Capacchione, and Angeles Arrien. These three women gave me the tools, preparing me for the journey and the path I’ve chosen.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that one of the key ideas I’ve focused on over the years is The Odyssey and the idea of embarking on a journey that is life altering. Pilgrimage like The Odyssey start with a call that we often turn down or refuse at first, but the clues keep pouring in and show us that the call is part of our calling.

When starting out on a journey of any kind we need to make sure we’re prepared. What tools do you need for your individual journey? I made an assessment prior to the start of the Feast for the Soul about the tools I would need so I can maximize the outcome of this adventure. I do feel that it’s an adventure because it has any many unknowns as knowns. It is driving me to begin a deep dive into my consciousness and will show me where it intersects with my community.

I have found that it’s important to have the right tools for the right job. Recently we bought new furniture for the office. I measured twice before making the purchase and finally once delivered I realized I’d need to take the hinges off the door. I tried to use a screwdriver but the hinges didn’t budge. I watched a YouTube video and the “tutor” used a nail sink to boost the pin out of the hinge. I went a bought a nail sink, lo and behold the pin came right out.

New Cutting Mat, Two Bolts of Fusible Web, Book of Poems by Nikki Giovanni (things I needed for the journey)

Given that example, I went to the store and bought some supplies. These tools will make the journey more productive, and will keep me stocked so I won’t have to run to the store in the middle of a studio session. It will also keep me focused on the project, the journey to mindfulness.

What will you need before setting out on your own “odyssey”? The planning will bring you to the present, help you focus, and as Stephen Covey states, “Begin with the end in mind.” Obviously on a pilgrimage you won’t know every conclusion, but think about what you hope will be the conclusion.

I’d love to hear about your own journey! Feel free to share and let’s start a dialogue.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. Even though it’s the dead of winter here in the northern hemisphere, the Feast for the Soul is a springboard for renewal, spiritual renewal. It’s a good time to spend time in silence, following my breath, my heartbeat, and my motivation for inspiration.

Preparation for the journey

Unlike many, I don’t meditate sitting on a cushion, chanting, or burning incense (although I do often burn a candle). I use my meditation time to work on one piece of art, forty minutes a day for forty days. I delve into the consciousness of my soul and how it shows itself in my art. I give myself the space to allow the art to tell a story, a theme that is the focus for the length of the meditation.

I find it interesting that when someone asks if we do something regularly, we’re often asked if we do something religiously? I’m not sure how this came about, but I don’t believe it had anything to do with organized religion. I believe it relates to the idea of creating a practice. Engaging in something with regularity and intention. Intention is the key because it drives my focus, and in turn allows the release of negative energy. It gives me the opportunity to allow the energy to guide my actions and provides me with a forum for something that is utmost importance to me, and in many cases, society.

We live in an unsettling world. The amount of uncertainty is enormous and that provides a state of anxiety for many of us. We’re hyper-vigilant impacting our sense of calm, perspective, and focus. The media has heightened our need to be informed. Our safety is threatened by politics, the environment, and the recent repeal of human decency.

The focus of my forty days of meditation is “protection”. The desire, need, and right to feel safe in our country, our homes, and our hearts. The work I’m creating will provide me with a sense of safety because I have the freedom to create. It will provide me with a sense of calm because I’m choosing to be mindful (anyone who doesn’t think textile art doesn’t require mindfulness has never been cut with a rotary cutter or burned with an iron). It provides me with a sense of community and purpose because I’m hoping the work will share the common story we’re currently living.

Join me on this journey (www.feastforthesoul.org). It can have transformative capabilities and will reinforce the feeling of being in community.

Welcome to “Time to Live Creatively”, the place where we discuss art and healing. When we think about art and healing it’s common to think about illness. However, I’ve been speaking with people who have endured many different life stressors, and through art, they have overcome great odds. These individuals, artists, are using creativity to express themselves, sharing their story with the world.

When I began this journey, over twenty years ago, I channeled my energy around illness. After I finished my dissertation on art and healing the artists, even though all facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses, spoke about other hurdles they used art to tell their life story. They created visual autobiographies to share with the world.

As I continue my pilgrimage looking at how art influences our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives; the evolution of the visual story becomes more prevalent each and every day. I hope you experience how the creative energy in your life serves to create a sense of calm and peace. I hope your creative experiences open your eyes, your consciousness, and your spirit to the breadth of possibility in the world.

I would like to invite you to visit this creative sacred space as we explore the impact of art and creativity on our lives and makes us whole!